Looking back at 2008

2008 has come to close and as usual the year had it’s high and lows. During the summer we watched some awe-inspiring athletic performances at the Olympic summer games in Beijing. While later in the year we watched our portfolio’s perform a more nauseating set of dives. Here are some online resources to help you remember the year.

Online Video

The ability to record hours upon hours of TV saved countless battles over the remote. So long as I had the channel, I was able to record and watch what I wanted – when I wanted. It was a breath of fresh air. No longer did big broadcasters have us trapped in our living rooms. For a time it was an indispensable item in the household. But it didn’t last. I moved my viewing habits online, opting out of the rigid 30 and 60 minute TV servings and instead choosing to digest my television cravings over the internet.

Search for Travel Tips

The air is crisp. The days shorter. The leaves have already changed colour and begun their slow descent to the ground. Yes, it’s Fall, and that only means one thing. Time to start thinking about warm weather!

Not Bailing Out Online

The recent market turmoil has undoubtedly spiked traffic on the web. Suddenly the term “bailout” is prominently back in our vocabulary. It used to be that when you heard someone saying “bail-out” it was followed by the words “of jail”. Arguably the conversation could still have been about Wall Street but these days it’s followed by “Seven Hundred Billion Dollars” and conjures thoughts of fiscal irresponsibility and lost savings.

Politics and the Internet

A while back I wrote a column which reviewed the online campaigns of Senator Barack Obama and John McCain to predict the next president of theUnited States. The victor of that comparison was Mr. Obama.

Now, here in Canada we have our own Federal election going on and I thought it timely to do the same.

Shiny or Dirty Chrome

Google is a forward thinking company, and what might be a small announcement now, will be what everybody is talking about (or using) 12 months from now. It’s only a matter of time before people are buying cell phones loaded with Google’s “Android” operating system and surfing away on the mobile version of the Chrome browser.

Great Online Tools

Over the past few years, I’ve seen my fair share of online tools. Some of have been great! Others fly in with a BANG and then just fade off into the sunset. Here are some of the keepers.

Escaping High Oil Online

Growing tired of $100 fill-ups? You’re not alone. Most people have noticed the effects of high oil prices in one way or another. But hold on to your gas caps, there’s relief out there! And it’s online.

The Walking Web

For many, our cell phones are an essential tool for everyday life and business. And now recent stats show that more and more of us are making plans for our cell phones to be our only means of communication. Who can blame us? A lot has changed since those first brick-like cell phones appeared back in the mid-1980s.

A Healthy Dose of the Internet

Like anything on the web, finding useful information can be tricky. Throw in a topic as complicated and broad as health and things don’t get much easier. Depending on what your looking for, it may be important to note many of the websites you’ll stumble across originate from south of the border. You have to look a little harder to find Canadian content. Most sites will also include some form of advertising. Sometimes to turn a profit, other times to keep a site’s content free. Below is just a small sampling of some interesting websites.

Simple Steps to Stay Safe Online

It’s doubtful hackers or malicious software developers are planning to take any extended periods of time off this summer. Now more than ever, they are armed with new tactics, new technology and have an abundance of unknowing and unprepared internet users to prey upon.

Linux… A Short History

Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License, the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone…

Can’t Beat a Brand

When it comes to driving conversions, the power of having a brand can’t be beat, according to new data from WebSideStory.

Using data from more than 30 business-to-consumer e-commerce sites on its HBX Web analytics platform during the last three months of 2005, WebSideStory found that those who navigated directly to a site, either by typing in a URL or using a bookmark, were most likely to convert. The next-best conversion came from users following search engine links, and then other Internet links….

Where the Internet is Growing

The Internet is growing at an annualized rate of 18% and now has one billion users. A second billion users will follow in the next ten years, bringing a dramatic change in worldwide usability needs.